Features and highlights from across Beaver Nation

Darryl Lai recently won the OSthankU video contest. He along with several other students created 1-2 minute videos thanking Oregon State University donors. You can watch his video and read a short Q&A with him below. Thanks to everyone who participated and of course a big thanks to OSU Donors!

Why did you choose OSU?

I should start off with some things about how I grew up, in a household that valued family above all things. I have six siblings, four of which have gone to Oregon State or are attending Oregon State. Choosing a school near home was important to me, but also choosing a school where my brothers were able to thrive and become who they are today was a tangible reason I was able to see.

How will you impact the world after you graduate?

I’ve been asked what I will be doing with my education after school many times recently. I don’t have a job lined up yet but that was never something I ever thought twice about because I knew in the end I’d be in a position to tell stories and make an impact on the people around me.

I hope that I will be able to impact the world, but when the world is made up of the important people around you, they’re one and the same. However, I do believe that the world will be impacted through the smallest of contributions and I feel that my contribution will be through storytelling. Whether I am telling the story of a client, a friend or my own, the fact is that people connect to people through stories.

Tell a donor the impact their gift has had on your OSU experience?

My parents never went to college and it was up to five boys and a girl to make them proud. Every day, I look to how I make my mom, dad and sibling proud. I know that donors have had a direct impact on my goal to make my family proud.

However, what I narrated in my video is completely true: your support is affecting every student and their families. Any amount of dollars doesn’t compare to the fact that so many donors are supporting our college experience.

What organizations are you involved in at OSU?

I have been involved in or still am involved with:

The Austin Entrepreneurship Program

Students in Free Enterprise

Student Alumni Association

Dean’s Student Leaders Circle (College of Business)

University Web Communications and Marketing

College of Business Marketing Club

I’ve been very lucky to be part of each of these groups, as they all have given me many friends and connections I would have never had if I hadn’t been involved at all. Most importantly, each and every one of these organizations pushed my limits in different ways. I learned more than I ever would have in any class from these organizations and cannot be thankful enough for the experience they have given me.